When Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail hastily took over the top leadership of the reformasi movement from her detained husband former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim in late 1998, many perceived her to be no more than a pitiful housewife and mother.

Four years later, the still serene and smilingly discerning Muslim women has proven herself to be a clear-eyed and tough-minded builder of a moderate, democratic, inclusive and centrist alternative in the politics of multi-ethnic and multi-religious Malaysia, arousing both hope and fear, and amity and enmity in different quarters.

Subconsciously conditioned by long years of the rule of 'Asian'/feudal values, paternal authoritarianism and male chauvinism in both the politics of ruling and opposition parties, many journalists, writers and commentators thought she was 'too soft', 'indecisive', 'politically not knowledgeable' and 'wishy-washy'.

Such judgments were shared even by some leaders of the established opposition parties and female journalists then.

After Keadilan was inaugurated on April 4, 1999, many also 'predicted' or hoped for the collapse of her party after the 1999 general election, because it was thought or argued that there would be no more issues for her, other than her husband's court cases to fight.

In the Machiavellian view of human nature, ordinary people are assumed to be forgetful.

Proving her mettle

Yet, Kak Wan (Sister Wan) as the Ireland-trained eye-specialist is popularly and affectionately known among the multiethnic masses on the ground not only survived the turbulence of the politics of an extraordinary period in Malaysian history, but also seems to have been toughened and empowered by tests after tests, and threats after threats.

She seems to have proven to be not just as a housewife fighting for the personal cause of her husband, but also a skilful opposition leader on her own right now fighting for other equally important issues of democracy, human rights and national unity.

On Aug 15, after attending a dialogue session with the Chinese educationist group, Dong Jiao Zong, she publicly challenged Minister of Education Musa Mohamed to release the expert findings claimed to be the premise of the 'policy' to change the medium of instruction of Science and Mathematics to English in all primary schools next year.

Writing in her personal column in the PAS organ, Harakah , she attacked the insinuation that Chinese Malaysians were disloyal to Malaysia as "stupid" and "foolish".

Last week, Umno president and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad publicly criticised Dong Zong chairperson Quek Suan Hiang and a 90-year-old icon of Chinese education in Malaysia, Sim Mou Yu as "extremists" and "Chinese chauvinists".

In October 1987, together with many PAS and DAP leaders as well as some Christian social activists, both Catholics and Protestants, Sim was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) at the age of 76.

Sim was once an MCA Youth leader but was sacked in the mid-1960s by the then MCA president, Tan Siew Sin, for promoting the cause of Chinese education.

According to Wan Azizah: "Long ago, Chinese Malaysians were criticised for not having confidence in the national (Malay) language, but now, after they have committed to the national language, they are criticised for not being loyal to the country just because they rejected the government's proposal (to use English to teach Science and Math in primary schools)".

She did not just attack. She also positively defended a position based on the Federal Constitution.

Understanding the Chinese psyche

In a statement issued on July 20, she affirmed that "Keadilan supports the right of every community to practise and preserve its own language and culture, as laid down in the Federal Constitution, and there should be no attempt to diminish this right.

"We regard the freedom of each community to preserve its own identity through its language and culture as an important feature in our multi-ethnic society, with Bahasa Malaysia as the national language."

In her Harakah column, she also proposed that while the proficiency of English should be upgraded, the identities of Chinese and Tamil primary schools must be preserved.

Her Chinese supporters in the Malay-predominated multi-ethnic Keadilan must have been elated by her courage to speak up, at a critical moment, in defence of what they see as the vital ingredient of Chinese identity.

They can now live with a clearer conscience compared with their fellow Chinese Malaysians in MCA, Gerakan, Sarawak United People's Party, Sabah Progressive Party and Liberal Democratic Party.

They are proud of their Malay/Muslim leader and friend who really understands their cultural psyche, and empathises with it.

They can now also turn the argument around and point out that while some secularly attired Umno politicians are attempting to threaten the cherished identity of secular Chinese schools, a Muslim woman who wears a tudung (headscarf) has come to their defence.

In fact, she was recently a guest of honour at a grand dinner and Chinese cultural performance organised by Dong Jiao Zong. Last year, she was also a guest of honour at the dinner celebrating the 78th anniversary of the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (SCAH), the physical building of which the Umno Youth once threatened to raze to the ground.

New knowledgeable recruits

Indeed, under her leadership, Keadilan has recruited quite a number of young and knowledgeable Chinese Malaysian leaders such as Dr Lee Boon Chai in Ipoh, lawyer Cheah Kah Peng in Penang, former Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (SCAH) Youth chief Low Chee Cheong and businessman Ng Lum Yong in Kuala Lumpur.

She also does not seem to lack experienced consultants in Chinese politics because of the entry of some former senior DAP leaders and members of Parliament like Gooi Hock Seng and Teoh Teik Huat in Penang and Foo Piow Kok in Perak.

On the Malay/Muslim ground, she is well-covered on the issue. For none other than the top theologian and acting president of PAS, Abdul Hadi Awang, issued a rare statement on Aug 11 to the local and international media to express 'full support' for the Chinese educationists and the positions articulated earlier by the bilingual eye surgeon.

Many Malay linguists, educators and educationists, translators and interpreters have also joined the ranks of the protestors against the proposal to teach English in Science and Math in primary schools.

In this sense, many socially organised Chinese Malaysians now see Wan Azizah as the bridge and communicator between the Chinese and Malay/Muslim communities in Malaysian politics.

It is perhaps exactly for this reason that she and her party are also secretly feared by politicians who have built their careers on inter-ethnic discords and inter-religious disharmony.

Mastering the art

But that is not all from the Keadilan member of parliament for Permatang Pauh. There are other aspects in which she remarkably serves as a great bridge.

When US Secretary of State Colin Powell visited Kuala Lumpur and met Mahathir on July 30, the Assistant Secretary (Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs), James Kelly held a breakfast meeting with Azizah at the residence of the US Ambassador to Malaysia, Marie T Huhtala.

The Director of Asian Affairs of the powerful US National Security Council, Karen B Brook, was also present.

After the 55-minute breakfast meeting, Wan Azizah issued a press statement which was either blacked out or under-reported by the official media.

She said, among other things, she told the American visitors that the position of Keadilan and Barisan Alternatif is clear on the issue of terrorism.

"We reiterated our stand that we support the fight against terrorism but, at the same time, the fundamental values such as human rights, democracy, good governance and freedom of speech should not take a back seat in our eagerness to fight terrorism.

"We also highlighted the sentiments of the people of Malaysia that the campaign against terrorism in Malaysia, unfortunately, is being exploited by Dr Mahathir as a pretext to unleash a new wave of oppression against his political opponents."

According to her, Assistant Secretary James Kelly "stressed that human rights will always anchor the foreign policy of the US in all their meetings with Malaysian leaders and officials".

She quoted Kelly as saying that "he did not accept the Malaysian government's position that the United States is following the steps of Malaysia by imitating the Internal Security Act in their Patriot Act as the two are completely different".

Shared position

The official media reported in May this year that de facto law minister, Dr Rais Yatim claimed that, the US supported Malaysia's Internal Security Act (ISA) which allows indefinite detention without trial.

Wan Azizah also said that, Ambassador Huhtala "while expressing the US administration's appreciation of the co-operation by the Malaysian government in the war against terrorism, however, also, stressed that, under a democratic system, those who organise and participate in political rallies should not be detained under the draconian act".

The US has consistently regarded Anwar as a political prisoner and considers the judicial process he went through 'flawed'. This position is also essentially shared by the European Union and a significant portion of Islamic opinion in Malaysia and overseas.

The photograph of her meeting with James Kelly was published in the latest English edition of Harakah .

In a matter of two weeks, Wan Azizah seems to have essentially mastered the great art of Malaysian politics: balancing and bridging the natural and psychological divides of the Malays/Muslims, non-Malays/Muslims and the West.

How this qualitative mastery is transformed into quantitative votes on a playing field that is not level is, however, yet to be observed.

In any case, Wan Azizah's feminism and woman liberation are clearly practised and rooted in daily actions, not in political slogans or ideological mumbo-jumbos.

JAMES WONG WING ON is chief analyst of Strategic Analysis Malaysia (SAM) which produces the subscriber-based political report, Analysis Malaysia. Wong is a former member of parliament (1990-1995) and a former columnist for the Sin Chew Jit Poh Chinese daily. He read political science and economics at the Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. While in Sin Chew, he and a team of journalists won the top awards of Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) for 1998 and 1999.